Cinnamon Hearts & Slushies
by Cakestar
Summary: Puck thinks that he’s the luckiest guy in the world, because he knows a lot of super hot cheerleaders and stuff, but he only knows one girl who puts a gold star when she signs her name.


(**AN:** YES I KNOW I SUCK AT TITLES OKAY MOVING ON.)

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oo1. It starts when Puck walks down the hall like normal, Slushie in hand, and then he sees Rachel. And she's standing at her locker, and he doesn't throw the Slushie at her.

oo2. When she's not looking (which is kind of, you know, all of the time), he likes to watch her. Not in some, like, creepy psycho-stalker kind of way or anything, because he is _not_ that at _all_, but in a way that, like, a person observes something that's interesting.

Not that he's interested in her or anything. It's just that he doesn't really _get_ how one person can make him want to, like, destroy his ears or something when she talks, but then just makes him feel real _happy_ when she sings.

oo3. When Rachel looks at Finn, what she sees is perfect.

She sees a future, and little kids running around with dark hair and perfect voices. They laugh but they don't scream, and they ask their mom (her, obviously) to tell them about her days as a star. (Because having children during her career would only ruin her chances of making it big, and there is _nothing_ more important than being a star.)

She likes to think about this future, but then he smiles over her shoulder and she sees Quinn, and she remembers that it's not an option, because _Quinn_ beat her to it.

oo4. Puck is kind of surprised on the day that Rachel Berry corners him. She's tiny and all, but she's still freaky as hell, especially when she looks at you with those _eyes_ that mean she _knows_ something and oh God, what does she want?

She says, "I understand your feelings for me, because this is the perfect cliché—school nobody gets the attention of the quarterback and his bad boy friend—" (did Rachel Berry _actually_ just call him a "bad boy"?) "but I feel that you should know that a relationship with me will be impossible, because Finn and I are going to be together." She pats his arm lightly. "I'm sorry to break it to you, and I hope that your jealous feelings don't get in the way of your friendship with Finn."

He looks at her for a second, and then he's pretty sure that he's never laughed so hard in his life.

oo5. Rachel doesn't understand, but decides that Puck probably just has a weird way of dealing with rejection.

Or, well, she thinks that, until he asks her "what the hell she's talking about." Um.

"Well, given the way that you were looking at him when we were singing 'Don't Stop Believing,' I logically concluded that you are attracted to me—not that I can blame you, I am a very talented person."

He laughs some more and Rachel decides that he _definitely_ has a weird way with handling rejection, because he sounds kind of crazy. It might be good practice for when she's famous, because someone with her talent is sure to have countless stalkers.

oo6. Okay, so Puck probably did give Finn a look for going all girl on him over Rachel. But it's definitely not because he likes her. It's more because he doesn't really _get_ how Finn can just ignore that he's got _Quinn Fabray_, in favour of some Glee loser.

(Except he kind of does, because he can still remember her eyes just _looking_ at him hours later, when he's trying to sleep and should be thinking of something better.)

oo7. It's not until a few days later, when she's at her locker and sees Quinn holding Finn's hand, that Rachel gets it. Because, as she looks at them, together&smiling&happy, and her stomach starts to turn and twist itself up until she feels sick, she sees Puck looking at them too, and he's got the same look on his face that she does.

And then she _knows_ that he knows how it feels to love someone who'll never love you back.

oo8. Puck wishes that Rachel Berry would kindly stay the fuck out of his life. She _has_ to start walking towards him with those _eyes_ again (and he's just forgotten about them, but now he _knows_ he won't be able to again for another week), and she _has_ to be intimidating even though she's, like, four feet tall or something.

And it's as if she doesn't think his world's messed up enough or some shit, because then she says, in the softest voice _ever_ that makes him feel _too_ comfortable, "You like Quinn, don't you?"

He feels his whole world just fall apart right then, because, _fuck_, how does she _know_? And why does she just keep on _looking_ at him like that, like she understands and like she wants to help, and _God_ is she screwing with him because he realizes that she's kind of beautiful.

oo9. They walk to the 7/11 together, and it's all quiet and shit. And he buys a Slushie, and she looks at it before buying herself some of that mineral water stuff, and then they walk back.

They don't say a word or anything. They're just quiet, and the only reason it _doesn't_ feel normal is because she's not talking.

(And that kind of scares him, because _what the fuck_?)

o1o. As she walks into school to pick up her bag, her stomach does some weird butterfly clenching thing, because she sees Finn looking at her and Puck with this weird look on his face, and she thinks for a second that maybe he's jealous, and maybe he _likes_ her.

o11. All Puck can see are brown eyes that _know_ and all he can feel is everything changing. (And he hates her for it.)

o12. He still ignores her at school, but he doesn't even buy Slushies anymore, except for when they see Finn and Quinn together, and go to the 7/11 for some alone time (together).

o13. She doesn't even give them dirty looks anymore, because she _knows_ they won't end up on her.

o14. He doesn't want to kill himself every time she opens her mouth anymore, even though she still talks _way_ too much about _everything_ and she should really learn when too much is too much because someday someone's going to kill her. Not that that's such a bad thing.

(Only it kind of is.)

o15. Rachel wants to sing a song for him.

o16. Sometimes, they go to the 7/11 together even when they _don't_ see Finn and Quinn together.

o17. Puck wonders when it starts to feel so natural that he doesn't question it.

o18. One day, Puck talks to Rachel at school. During the day. Outside of Glee. When everyone can see it. He does it like it's the most natural thing in the world, so she just smiles and answers him, and pretends that everything's normal (even though it's not really, because everyone's actually _looking_ at her for once).

o19. Puck just wants to see her look so happy more often, because even though she made his whole world _die_ with that one question (so, so long ago that he barely even remembers), her smile brings it all back to life again for that one second (and it does crazy things to him and sometimes, he forgets to breathe).

o2o. Rachel knows that she should be happy when Finn asks her what's up with her and Puck. And she is, kind of, but not like she _should_ be, and she's pretty sure it's not in an "oh my gosh, Finn's jealous!" way. Even though he is, and she knows it, but she doesn't think that that's why she's really happy, because she only gets that huge smile when she sees Puck turn the corner and walk down the hallway.

"Nothing," she says, "we've just become friends while you didn't notice."

(She doesn't feel at all sad when she says that they're friends.)

o21. Puck and Rachel are sitting together outside of the 7/11, and she's talking about something, and then he sees Quinn, and then he thinks, "Oh, shit, what happens when Rachel finds out about the baby?" But then he remembers that it doesn't matter, because it's not like he and Rachel have a, you know, _thing_ going on or anything. They're just friends is all, except he's kind of worried that she's still going to judge him for doing that to his best friend.

He doesn't know when she became so important to him. She just _has_.

And he knows that losing her would probably kill him.

o22. Everyone is quiet when Puck and Rachel walk into the room together, each holding a drink of their own. Finn is looking at Rachel with this kind of pained look on his face that still makes her heart hurt a little (but she's getting used to it now), and Kurt and Mercedes look like they're completely evil or something.

It's not that it's a secret that they're friends or anything, it's just that _Rachel_ is _late_ for Glee, and she's with _Puck_. Everyone can only think of one thing that they could've been doing, and it's so _not_ like Rachel that they don't get it.

(Honestly, all that happened was that Rachel decided to try and drink a Slushie, and could not be rushed through the difficult process of choosing which flavour for _anything_.)

o23. Rachel's not really sure where she and Puck stand. If they're friends, it doesn't really feel _proper_ for her to continue calling him by a nickname. But maybe everyone _calls_ him Puck because he is so repulsed by his _actual_ first name, and if she calls him Noah, he might get offended and never speak to her again, and she doesn't know what she would _do_—

She experiments.

"Hey, Noah," she says (like it's the most natural thing in the world), "it's my birthday next week."

"So?"

"So I wanted to know if you wanted to do something to celebrate the day of my birth."

He looks at her for a second, and she recognizes it as the look he always gives her when she says too much. But then he shrugs and says, "Sure."

She doesn't miss that he didn't say anything about her calling him Noah.

Or that, unless someone else comes too, this might be a _date_.

o24. Sometimes, Puck thinks about Rachel Berry _other_ than when he's with her or when someone talks about her. Like, earlier today, he was just sitting at the table and eating breakfast, and he found himself wondering if she likes _toast_ or _bread_ better, and just how toasted she likes her toast.

Yes he realizes that it's a stupid thing to think about, thank you very much, but it's not like he can _help_ it. He just can't stop thinking about her and what she likes and doesn't like and if she thinks about him too. (And sometimes about _who_ she likes, but he tries to think about that a little less because, well, he doesn't like feeling jealous all the time and maybe he likes her a little bit.)

o25. Rachel doesn't know what to wear on her birthday, because she still doesn't know if it's a date or not. Why wasn't Puck more clear about his feelings? She doesn't know if she should dress up or if she should dress normal, so she spends much too long trying to choose the perfect outfit.

When she opens her door and sees Puck standing there, she knows that it was time well spent.

o26. They don't do anything special. He comes in and meets her dads (and they give her a thumbs-up when his back is turned, and her face is _so red_ that Puck asks if she's really okay), and then they all have dinner together. Her dads try to bust out a board game, but Rachel knows that Puck hates those (especially Monopoly), so she tells them that she and Noah are going to go out for just a _little_ bit, and she'll be home before curfew.

They get into his car and he drives her to a 7/11, and he buys her a Slushie. (Does it make it a date if he's paying for her? Or is it just her birthday present or something?)

o27. When he drops her back off at her house, he walks her to the door. Rachel turns to him and smiles, and he can see it coming, because she's got that look on her face that she _always_ gets right before she talks too much.

"Okay, Noah, you might not realize this about me, but I am very blunt sometimes, so I have to say that skirting around this for the past week has been killing me, but I have to _know_. Was tonight a date, or was it just my birthday? Because I like you, and I don't know how you feel about me. I mean, I _know_ you bought me my Slushie, and boyfriends pay for their girlfriends on dates, but was that because it was a date or because it's my birthday? I'm very confused by this whole situation, and—"

He puts his hand on her mouth and smiles at her (and her eyes get this funny look that just makes him want to _kiss_ her), and he says, "That wasn't a date, but we can have one tomorrow if you want."

When she looks at him like that, he's pretty sure everything _ever_ is right with the world.

o28. She doesn't let him kiss her goodnight because that is only appropriate behaviour for after a date (and she wants to see just how whipped he's going to be).

o29. He gets away with a kiss on her cheek anyway, but he stops laughing when she pouts, because _seriously_? Is she _trying_ to make it hard for him to not kiss her?

o3o. She tells him to be at her house at precisely 7:00 the next night. She's not at all surprised or upset when he comes at 7:15, because he is Noah Puckerman and she knows that he's probably only late because he didn't want to look too eager.

o31. Kissing Rachel Berry is kind of like he expected, only better. She's not shy at all about it, and she kisses him back harder than he expected (and he was _so_ not ready for that kind of thing), but she's not very experienced so it's kind of messy and awkward and all over the place.

It's also kind of hot, because she holds onto his shirt so that he can feel her fingers curling just slightly through his shirt, and his hands are on her face and holding her there, and her cheeks feel really soft. He can still remember it after he gets home and is lying down in bed.

o32. Rachel thinks that Puck is a very good kisser, except that he tastes too much like that too-minty toothpaste that she hates, and she wishes that he'd go for something less strong so that she can kiss him all the time.

o33. Puck's short happiness is gone two days later on Monday, when Rachel walks up to him with her pissed-off look. She doesn't pause to make sure that they're alone; she stops in front of him (and he's still amazed that such a tiny person can be so intimidating) and she's all tears&tears&tears and he doesn't know what to _do_ when she says, "Is it true?"

He probably doesn't have to ask what she's talking about, because he has a pretty good idea, but he does anyway. "Is what true?"

And she gives him a _look_ and he feels so _sick_ because it's the kind of look she always gave him way back when he threw Slushies at her (and it feels like it's been years and years since then). But she never cried then and _now_ her eyes are all red and he _doesn't know what to fucking do_.

"Quinn," she says, and the world that she built for him falls apart again.

o34. Rachel knows that she shouldn't be _so_ hurt by this whole Quinn thing, because she and Puck weren't even friends when it happened. She was still having Slushies thrown at her when it happened. But still, she thinks that he should have told her before he decided to kiss her, and before he decided to make her _like_ him.

She wonders how Finn feels about this, and it makes her heart ache because she knows that what he's going through is so much worse. It's like, you always _hear_ about your girlfriend cheating with your best friend, but it only happens in movies, and then when it actually _happens_, it's the most shocking thing in the world. Because what kind of best friend _actually_ does that, and what kind of girlfriend _actually_ does that? And she knows that if _she_ were dating Finn, none of this would ever have happened because she's a very loyal girl who _knows_ that it's wrong to sleep with someone else when you're in a committed relationship.

She wonders what would have happened if she and Puck had gotten together, and then Quinn offered him something. Would he even have thought twice about her?

o35. Puck has never in his life felt so guilty. Even that time when he forgot to feed the class hamster for the weekend when he was in Kindergarten, he didn't feel this guilty. When she asked him about it, Rachel just had the saddest eyes _ever_ and he just couldn't handle it and he doesn't know what to do, and he just wants to make everything right, and he realizes that he lost both of his go-to people in one shot with the whole Quinn thing, because Rachel is avoiding him and he's avoiding Finn (because he's just not ready for a broken nose yet).

He tries not to think about everything good that was going to happen with him and Rachel if he never had that one fucking night with Quinn. It was definitely _not_ worth everything that's happening now.

(He somehow doubts that telling people that will help, though.)

o36. Rachel ignores his phone calls. She ignores his e-mails and his MySpace messages. She watches him stare at her as her daddy tells him that she's not home. She even ignores the notes he leaves in her locker, and she throws out the Slushie that he buys for her.

It's immature, maybe, and she knows it won't work, but she's willing to do anything—_anything_—to make her forget him and pretend that there never was anything.

(It's hard to forget his smile and his laugh, and especially the way she sometimes sees him stare at her, the way he used to stare at Quinn, when he thinks she's not looking. It's _impossible_ to forget how repulsive he tasted on their first kiss, and how all she wanted on that night was to brush his teeth with some less strong toothpaste so she'd be able to handle it.)

o37. Puck's not a romantic sort of guy. He's not the kind of person who stands outside some girl's window with a guitar at three in the morning to serenade her just so that she'll forgive him. He's not one for grand gestures like that, unless he's trying to impress her and pretend he's something bigger than he is. But the thing is, Rachel _knows_ who he is, so he _can't_ get away with that. It won't _work_, and that scares him a little, because he _does_ want everything to be okay between them.

He doesn't really know what to do, but he doesn't give up, and he keeps giving her that _look_ until she finally eases up a bit and looks him in the eye. (He knows that, someday, everything's going to be okay between them.)

o38. Rachel spends a lot of time with Finn. He's (rightfully) very upset about the entire situation, but she's still confused because she _knows_ that she doesn't like Finn. And she _knows_ that it's (wrong wrong wrong) _so_ wrong to kiss him right now, because he tastes too good and he takes it too slow, and he has too much hair on his head and he's too tall and God she wants Puck back, but she's scared that he's going to hurt her.

At least Finn is safe. For now, that's all that she wants.

o39. It breaks his heart a little bit every time he sees Rachel and Finn together.

o4o. "Finn," she says, "I can't."

Finn looks up at her, and she thinks he _gets_ it for the first time, because he agrees with her. "Me neither." He runs a hand through his hair (he needs a haircut). "I just—I don't know why. We were just together for a _long time_, you know? And we had so many, like, memories and stuff. And I picked a name for the baby. Did you know that? I want to name her Drizzle, but Quinn didn't like that. And—I was getting all ready for it, and I mean, I don't _want_ a baby, and I'm not ready for one or anything, but I was gonna be a _dad_, you know?" He swallows. "Why do we still want them?"

Rachel holds his shaking hand. "Because we're idiots," she says.

o41. Puck is kind of shocked, but _so happy_ when he sees Rachel standing next to his locker. He all but runs there (he still wants to look _kind of_ cool) and stands in front of her so he can feel her crossed arms on his body. They're standing so close and she looks up at him and she is _everything_ and he knows that she can pretty much say, like, anything, and he'll do it.

(He's so fucking whipped, it's ridiculous.)

"You know I can't trust you, really," she says quietly. There used to be a time where he'd be happy that that was all she'd have to say, but he's missed the sound of her voice so much that he wants her to just talk and talk and talk, forever&ever&ever.

"Rach..." He wants to feel her body against his and he wants to kiss everything away, but he knows he's not allowed, and, _God_, it's _killing_ him that he can't, because he wants to _so bad_. He swallows the lump in his throat. "I know."

She scrunches up her face a little bit (and it's kind of the cutest thing he's ever seen), and she says, "I don't get it." She looks up at him with her _eyes_, fuck, and he kind of hates what they're doing to him. "I'm so _mad_ at you, but... but I miss you. And Finn misses Quinn. Even though you guys hurt us, I don't get it. Why do I miss you so much?"

He hesitates for a second before wrapping his arms tentatively around her and pulling her gently towards him. Her arms uncross themselves and hold onto his shirt and he puts his chin on the crown of her head and just holds her (and it feels so right and he wishes that there was any build-up to this moment _except_ for this one). "Because I'm a lucky son of a bitch, and you're an idiot."

Rachel laughs into his chest but it sounds kind of like a sob so he's not sure which it really is. "That's what I said."

He doesn't know how long they stay like that, but he realizes that it doesn't matter.

o42. It takes a long time. Life goes on like normal for a long time, and things get tense sometimes—like whenever Puck and Quinn and Finn talk, just the three of them. Quinn's baby bump is definitely showing and Rachel wonders if she'll even be able to participate in Glee club for much longer.

She lets Puck pick her up and drive her home from school, and she notices that her dads stop watching her in the window when his car pulls up.

o43. Puck rubs his head as he stands on Rachel's doorway, ready for their second first date. He knows her dads don't really like him, but he's determined to show them that he won't screw up again.

Rachel steps out of the house and looks amazing, and Puck promises to have her back for no later than 9:00. He takes her hand and brings her out to his car, and he opens the door for her like a true gentleman. (She smiles a little bit at this and he figures that he's done something good.)

He takes her to a movie theatre, and they watch some stupid movie about something that he doesn't pay any attention to, because he's too busy watching Rachel be completely engrossed in it. And then he takes her to the closest 7/11 and he buys them both Slushies, which they sit and drink in his car.

He has her home at precisely 8:50. Her dads thank him and shut the door in his face.

o44. That night, Rachel calls him quietly from her bedroom. They're on the phone until she falls asleep.

o45. Puck tries not to notice how much better she's gotten at kissing since the last time, because he doesn't want to think about her practicing with Finn or anyone else.

o46. Rachel makes Puck suck on little cinnamon hearts before he kisses her, because those taste a lot better.

o47. Puck feels bold and holds her hand as he walks through school. Some people stop and stare at them, because some people just don't know that they're together and have been for a while. Most people shrug it off, and everyone accepts it when all of the other "popular" people pass it off as though it's nothing new.

(That's not to say that they're all happy to watch him make out with Rachel against his locker. Everyone's just too afraid to tell him to save some for the bedroom.)

o48. Puck takes Rachel on a date every Friday night, and they end every date with two Slushies in his car.

o49. Her dads slowly accept him back into the house, and he's invited for dinner on New Years. He gladly accepts, and sneaks Rachel out of their sight so he can kiss her when the ball drops.

o5o. There are fights sometimes, but it's normal. Rachel doesn't cry and Puck feels like an asshole because he can still see the look in her eyes when she walks away from him and he always hopes to God or whoever's up there that she'll come back.

(She always does, and he always thanks God for it because he doesn't want to lose her again.)

o51. They've been together for a while now. Like, three months. And Puck's starting to notice that some of the most innocent things that Rachel does turn him on. He does his homework at her house after school on most days, and he notices that she sticks her tongue out and bites it a little bit when she's confused. (He'll gladly take over for her anytime, and he usually does after their homework is done.)

It drives him crazy when she stretches her arms and moans quietly when she feels something crack, because _God_ does he want to _know_ what else will make her make that sound. It's kind of killing him that he can't, and has it seriously been, like, almost six months since he's had sex?

She smiles that private kind of small smile, and he knows that she's worth it.

(Even though he really wouldn't mind if she'd, you know, let him get some.)

o52. Rachel is very aware of what she does to him, because she sometimes feels _it_ when they're, you know, making out. It's kind of flattering (in a really, really weird way), and she's happy that he, uh, seems to _like_ her so much and all, but, like, she doesn't know if she's, you know, _ready_ for it yet, because sometimes, she still thinks about that time four months ago when her heart broke.

She wants it _so bad_, but doesn't really feel like she _should_ do it.

o53. Puck only cleans pools when he's _sure_ that there's someone _other_ than a hot mom in the house, just for Rachel.

o54. Rachel continues to sing lead with Finn in Glee, and she's happy to see that he's finally stopped giving her that really sad look. (She's also kind of excited to see how pissed off Noah gets when the choreography makes Finn hold her, because seeing him _jealous_ because of _her_ kind of makes her legs want to cave in, and she's pretty sure they would if Finn weren't, you know, holding her up.)

o55. Puck tries not to think about how _he_ could be the one dancing with her if _he'd_ been the one to join Glee first (because there is _no way_ that Finn is more talented than he is, right? And Rachel won't notice that Finn's, like, a really good singer or something, and then just leave Puck again, _right_?)

He feels a little bit sick to his stomach.

o56. Rachel wants to laugh when Puck is sitting in his car and _not looking at her_, and he asks her about her and Finn, because _really_? Does he think she's going to leave _him_ for _Finn_? She can't do that now that she's, you know, _experienced_ his kisses (and he's gotten used to eating cinnamon hearts for her before every date, so she doesn't have to carry her little emergency back-up case with her anymore).

She takes his face into her hands and looks at him in the eyes (_God_, his eyes are so _pretty_ and why do guys have such perfect eyelashes?), and she says to him, "Noah. Don't be ridiculous. If I wanted Finn, I would have Finn, because, I mean, I just don't see why he wouldn't want me. But I don't want him, I want _you_ and I've got _you_. Just don't try and name our future children 'Drizzle,' and I think we're good."

Puck _looks_ at her and he kisses her all soft and sweet and like how she's gotten used to him kissing her when he wants to say "I like you a lot, Rachel Berry."

o57. Puck thinks that he's the luckiest guy in the world, because he knows a lot of super hot cheerleaders and stuff, but he only knows _one_ girl who puts a gold star when she signs her name.

He wants to tell Rachel that she doesn't _have_ to be a star, though. Like, she pushes herself really hard and stuff for it, and he admires that and all, but it worries him sometimes, because she'll be so, like, physically exhausted and stuff some nights that she can't do _anything_. (He usually goes to the 7/11 alone on those nights, and brings her a get-well-soon Slushie.)

o58. Rachel has had more Slushies in that five months that she and Noah have been dating than she has in her entire lifetime, and she tells him this. He just smiles and kisses the corner of her mouth, and it drives her kind of crazy.

o59. On Valentine's Day, they've been together for five and a half months, and _seriously_, man, Puck thinks he kind of loves her or something, because he hasn't had sex with anyone for more than half a year at this point, and the offers have been _coming_. But every time someone gives him that _look_, all he can think about is big brown eyes full of hopes&dreams&love, and he just can't, so he goes back to Rachel and kisses her until he forgets all about everything.

o6o. Rachel is kind of nervous, because she doesn't want to do _it_ with him on Valentine's Day, because that's seriously _so_ cliché and she wants it to be more special than that, so she waits a day. And then she shows up at his house, all hair curled and without make-up, with a really tight sweater with the top buttons undone. She knows his mom is working tonight and she told her dads (weeks and weeks ago so that they wouldn't suspect anything) that all of the girls in Glee were going over to Mercedes' house for a girls' night.

When he opens the door, he smiles at her and kisses her like it's just another night, and she takes off her coat and he hangs it up, and she almost ruins the illusion of innocence and laughs at the look on his face when he sees her sweater. She smiles at him and walks down the hall and into his room, making _sure_ that his eyes are following her hips, and she sits down on his bed.

He follows, like, _right_ after her, and Rachel doesn't waste a second in kissing him, and it only takes, like, ten seconds for his shirt to come off and he's working on the buttons of hers. She quickly finds out that if she moves her hands in just the right places, he makes sounds that she's never heard him make before.

o61. That night, Rachel Berry made love to Noah Puckerman. Nothing more needs to be said about it, really.

(She likes the way that she can make him stutter by licking his ear, and she _loves_ the way that he sounds when he says her name like that.)

o62. Puck still can't believe what happened last night, and he kind of _knows_ that he won't be telling _anyone_ about it because it just feels so much more private and special and intimate that way, and he kind of likes having all of that with Rachel.

(He loves the way that her toes curl and she bites her lip when he kisses her in _just_ the right place, and he loves that she _looks_ at him while they're making love, because, fuck, it's just so _intense_ and perfect even though it's messy and she makes the funniest faces sometimes.)

o63. That morning, Rachel wakes up and rolls over in her sleep and sees Noah looking back at her. The lazy smile on his face makes her heart start beating like it never has before and she knows that she loves him, so she tells him.

"I love you."

He kisses her softly and intimately and Rachel feels like she's drowning in this perfect moment, and she thinks that maybe that kiss doesn't mean "I like you a lot," but "I love you."

"I love you, too."

o64. He takes her out for breakfast that morning, and all they can do is stare at each other like they share some big secret (which they kind of do).

o65. All he wants is to kiss her, and kiss her and kiss her until she can't form a real sentence anymore. She's so perfect and beautiful and, fuck, he's never had anything this intense before with _anyone_ and he thinks that he only likes it so much because she's Rachel Berry.

o66. Their biggest fight is when he tells her that she doesn't _have_ to be some big star, she just has to be Rachel Berry and that's good enough for _everyone_.

o67. She tells him that he's full of shit because being a star is her _everything_.

o68. He wonders when _he'll_ be her everything.

o69. That fight is resolved fairly quickly when he asks her that and she kisses him. It's not really an answer, but it's good enough, so he kisses her back and wonders how the hell he got so lucky.

o7o. Rachel finds it kind of hard to believe that Slushies have become a form of apology when they used to be everything that made her angry.

o71. Puck sings a song for her, and in that moment, he becomes her everything.

o72. Rachel is crying but she's happy, and her eyes are all shiny after she cries and she's got a big smile on her face, and Puck wonders if she's ever looked more beautiful than right now.

o73. Puck still wonders how he managed to get the girl, sometimes. She's so perfect that it hurts a little bit, and he wonders what she's doing with a Lima loser like him.

o74. It's the first time that she actually hits him (and it's more of a love tap than anything else). She tells him to shut up and not think of himself like that, because she looks at him and sees someone who will be great at whatever it is he plans to do with his life, because Noah is determined to get somewhere in life.

And, hey, if he could _get the girl_ just because he was so determined to, then what _can't_ he do? He just needs to put some effort into it is all.

(Puck doesn't tell her that the only reason he worked so hard for her is because she's _Rachel Berry_.)

o75. They're not really perfect. Actually, they're anything but.

Somehow, though, they manage to work out. She's so easy to get annoyed, but he just kisses her softly and she melts into his arms (and it's kind of the best feeling in the world when she does that). He says the wrong thing sometimes, and she gives him this _look_, so he goes and buys her a cherry Slushie and he chews on some cinnamon hearts, and she laughs and forgives him.

No one expected them to last this long, and to be honest they're both kind of surprised by it, too. They both know that stuff can still go wrong, and they're not completely in the clear, and they never will be. They know that they'll have to keep working at it if they want to be together.

She's okay with that.

And he's okay with it, too, as long as it's Rachel Berry.

(And so it ends with Friday night dates at the 7/11 for Slushies, and kisses and fights and love and everything, and it's still kind of dizzying, but there has never been more perfection in an imperfect thing.)

--

**AN:** AND THAT WRAPS UP MY VERY FIRST RACKFIC.

I don't really know what to say here. Except that **I don't own Glee which kind of sucks because I seriously wish I did**. Except if I did, it would also probably be a _lot_ less entertaining. But there would definitely be more Puck/Rachel going on.


End file.
